Covergirl recently made the leap to become cruelty-free, meaning everywhere the cosmetics brand is sold will include products of which the ingredients are not tested on animals.

Covergirl itself posted about its brand new approach to makeup, “at COVERGIRL, we believe that you shouldn’t have to choose between the beauty products you love and the values you believe in. As the biggest makeup brand to achieve Leaping Bunny certification in partnership with Cruelty Free International, we’re committed to getting affordable, ethical makeup into the hands of anyone who wants it.”

Covergirl is one of the larger drugstore cosmetic brands which is why this change is especially monumental.

While other drugstore cosmetic brands have been cruelty free for quite some time, such as Elf Cosmetics and Wet n Wild, Covergirl switching their practices opens the door for other makeup behemoths to potentially make the switch as well.

Covergirl is now what is called ‘Leaping Bunny certified.’ The basis of the Leaping Bunny pledge is “A voluntary pledge that cosmetic, personal care, and/or household product companies make to clear animal testing from all stages of product development. The company’s ingredient suppliers make the same pledge and the result is a product guaranteed to be 100 percent free of new animal testing.”

To keep its cruelty-free status with Leaping Bunny, a company must recommit annually, making the Leaping Bunny seal one of the highest praised in the industry.

With consumers becoming more conscious of the products they buy and how they are made, it is no surprise Covergirl decided to change its cruel ways.

Rabbits and rats have long been some of the main test subjects for non-cruelty-free companies, but dogs are sometimes used as well.

Besides being locked in tiny and sense-deprivation cages, animals have chemicals injected into their eyes, are forced to inhale ingredients used in makeup, and other unspeakable acts, according to PETA.

Covergirl is paving the way for larger and more well known makeup brands to switch over to being cruelty-free as well, as it should, leading an industry scrutinized for doing the opposite for years.

Covergirl is not only affordable and a popular drugstore brand but now it comes with a clear conscious when picking their products off of the shelves.

Other large drugstore cosmetic brands such as Maybelline, Revlon, and L’Oréal are now in the hot seat. Covergirl made the switch so there is no reason other brands cannot make the switch as well. If at the very least for no other reason than to compete.

People use their money as a ballot, to vote for the products they not only enjoy, but believe in.

Everytime a customer purchases a cruelty-free product, they are sending a message to non-cruelty-free cosmetic brands that they do not agree with their barbaric practices, and would much rather support the ethically sound alternative.

Soon cosmetic companies will have no choice but to jump on the Leaping Bunny train if they want to keep up with the changing times.

In a world full of buyers actively going out of their way to support products that comply with their values, striving for cruelty-free should be a no-brainer for companies who care about their customers and take into account what they want.

“The Leaping Bunny logo, meanwhile, will start to appear on the packaging throughout winter and next spring, just to make it official,” reported Glamour Magazine.

Covergirl wasted no time making the change to their brand so other large cosmetic companies should act with haste.

Finally consumers do not have to choose between a brand they know and love or one that sides with their morals.